Jury: Venice Rules Kept 'Master' from Top Prize

(AP) ROME – Jurors at the Venice Film Festival loved “The Master,” a film inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, but say strict rules kept them from giving it the top Golden Lion prize along with the other awards it garnered.

Venice rules state that the film that receives the Golden Lion cannot get any other awards.

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The jury announced Saturday it was giving “The Master” the Silver Lion for best director (Paul Thomas Anderson), and that its stars Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman would share the prize for best actor.

The Golden Lion instead went to “Pieta,” a South Korean film about a brutal debt collector.

British juror Samantha Morton said the panel had a tough time with the decision.